Safety mechanism for hoisting or hauling apparatus for mines.



PATENTED JUNE 19, 19o7-.-.

R. 'JBNSEN SAFETY MECHANISM POR. HOISTING OR HAULING APPARATUSFOR-MINBS.

APPLIOATION PILED 1130. 17.1906.

&SHERR-SENSI' 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS ca. WASNINGTDN. 1:. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RAGNVALD JENSEN, OF EAST BAND, TRANSVAAL. SAFETY M ECHANlSM FOR-HOISTING OR HAULING APPARATUS FOR MINES Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. June 18 1907.

A li ti fil d December 17,1906. Serial No. 348.320.

To all whom it may conbern:

Be it known that I, RAGNVAL JENsEN, a subject of the King of Norway, anda resident of East Rand, Transvaal, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Safety Mechanism for Hoisting or Hauling Apparatus forMines and the Like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to safety devices or mechanism primarily designedfor use on cages, skps or similar vehicles, employed in the shai'ts ofmines for windng, hoisting or hauling purposes, in which the vehicletraverses guides, runners or skids in the shaft.

Although the invention is intended more particularly for use in verticalshafts it may be adaptedfor use in inclined or combined vertical andinclined shafts, -the device or mechanism being arranged to operate onthe guides, runners or skids or the rails traversed by the vehicle.

The invention may also be used with lifts, hoists, elevators or .otherlike hoisting apparatus in which the cage, car or other vehicletraverses guides in the shaft or well.

The object of the invention is to provide a reliable safety device whichWill automaticallyc'o'me'into operation in the event of the breaking'o'f the hauling rope or in the event ofthe-vehicle becoming unsupportedin the sha'ft or well from any other cause.

The d'evice operates to retard the movement of the falling vehicle andgradually bring it to rest, and thereby prevent the transmission ofinjurious shocks to occupants of the vehicle and also avoid damageeither to the shaft or vehicle.

The device is adjustable so that the brake pressure, which is graduallyapplied, may be limited, and so enable the movement of the vehicle tobe'arrested within any predetermined suitable distance.

In the accompanying drawings I illustrate a practical embodiment of myinvention in which it is shown applied to a mine cage designed to travelin a vertical shaft.

Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the upper portion of the vehiclewith my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an elevation at rightangles to Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a plan with certain parts removed.

In the drawings A designates the walls or sides of the shalt and B thecage or vehicle. a a? are the guides, runners or skids which serve toguide the vehicle as it ascends and descends the shaft. b b are theangle pieces or shoes fixed to the sides of the vehicle which slidablyengage the sides of the guides a 0/ see Fig. 3. The shoes b b extend fora suitable distance above the top of the cage. C are plates whichconstitute the drawbar, riveted or otherwise suitably fixed to oppositesdes of the cage, to which plates the shoes b b are secured. Theseplates C eX- tend for a suitable distance beyond the top of the cage andat their upper eXtremities are preferably constructed to form a ledge orprojection c. Between the upper extremities of these two plates C andriveted thereto is the crosshead or upper transverse member d. D is thedrawbolt or kingbolt, which in the customary manner, 'may be made ol'square section, tain limits in a square hole d in the crosshead d. Tothe upper eXtremity of the drawbolt' D is connected the windng orhauling rope e. This connection is shown made through the medium of thethimble E, side plates e? 6 and pins 6 The upper end of the drawbolt Dis shaped to provide two lateral projections or lugs (1 for a purpose tobe hereinafter eXplained F is a hood or cover fixed to the upperextremities of the shoes b b and hinged at c and 0 are anglepiecesserving as a stop or support for the cover F. These several parts do notin themselves constitute any feature of the present invention and theymay be of the construction shown or of any other desired and suitableconstruction.

Each of the plates C is constructed With two lateral projections 6 onwhich are formed bosses 0 see Figs. 2 and 3. G are .two horizontallydisposed shafts which are revolubly supported in curved slots 0 formedin the lateral projectons 6 In these slots 6 said shafts G are capableof moving laterally away from or toward each other. The shafts G areconstructed at the center with cranks h and encircling each of thecranks h is a loose collar h One of these collars h is attached, bymeans of shackle h chain 7L and shackle h& to one of the lateralprojections or lugs (P on the drawbolt D and the other collar, in likemanner, is connected to the other lateral projection. When the weight ofthe vehicle is on the drawbolt D it assumes the position in which it isshown in the drawings with its lower eXtremity engaging the underside ofthe crosshead d. The cranks h are shown in their correspondingpositions. With the parts in these positions a portion of the Weight ofthe'vehcle is carried by the adapted to slide within cer- IOC IIO

screwed bolts Zmay be used as means for adcrosshead d and a portion bythe springs (R) of the safety device, hereinafter referred to.

H are four cams, one fixed to the outer eX- tremity of each of the crankshafts G. These cams H are in alinement with the gaps or spaces i formedby cutting out the side fiange i of the shoes b b so that said cams cancontact directly with the sides of the guides or runners a a These camsH, which are shown in side elevation in Fig. 1', are constructed withfiat faces j which when the parts are in the position shown, lieparallel with and away from the sides of the runners a a The cams H canbe made eccentric in the following manner z-The permissible anglebetween a normal to the curve of the working face of the cam at anypoint and a line joining the same point to the center of the shaftshould be less than the'angle corresponding to the friction (an anglewhose tangent is equal to the co-efficient of friction) between the camsand the guides in the shaft. In this way when the cams first grip theguides they can overcome the friction of the shaft in its bearings andso drive themselves firmly against the guides. The face of the cam,where it comes into contact with the guide, may be made with a smooth orrough surface, or with very small teeth or projections. These teethshould not be larger than is necessary to increase the 'friction. Forsteel guides these cams are preferably made of hardened steel. For bothwood andsteel guides the permissible angle may decrease, as the radiusoffi the cam face increases, so that when the cams have turned through alargearc the shafts will, for a given increase in the distance betweenthem, turn through a greater angle than they do for the same increase ofdistance at the beginning of the grip.

The two shafts G are connected at -each nd by means of four bifurcatedlinks K, loosely mounted thereon. The end of one of the shafts G passesthrough the bifurcated eXtremity of one of the links K and thecorresponding eXtremity of the other shaft passes through the bifurcatedextremity of another link. The other and free -ends of each pair 'oflinks are connected by means of a pin k. The free end of one link isbifurcated and the other constructed witha tongue or projection fittingthe bifurcation i-n the other link, the pin k passing through them.

.order to attain L are two shackles, one for eachpair of links K,carried by the pins k and fitting recesses in the free ends of the linksK. To each of these shackles L is attached one end of a main helical orother suitable spring M. The other ends of the main springs M areattached by screwed bolts Zto a transverse beam Z or it may be to twobrackets fixed -to the shoes b b and plate C above the cage. The

j usting the tension of the two main springs M.

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On the crank shafts G and in each of the bifurcations of the linksK ismounted a collar m. n are set-screws for fiXing said collars m to theshafts G. The angular position of the collars m on the shafts G may beadjusted in the requisite pressure between and the guides a a the setscrews n serving as a means for fiXing the same after adjustment. 0 areset-screws screwed into the links K and n are projections formed on thecol lars m which by engaging the heads of the set-screws 0 operate tolimit the rotary movement of the shafts G. The adjustment may beeffected by screwing the set-screws o into or out of the holes in thelinks K to cause the projection n on the collar m to engage it sooner orlater as may be requisite.

Instead of providing the collars m with the .projections n theset-screws n fixing said collars to their shafts G may serve as thestops, and instead of providing the adjustable buffers or set-screws 0the projections n or set-screws n may strike against the links K tolimit the rotation of the crank shafts G. I prefer however to employ theset-screws 0, as this permits of a more perfect adjustment of thedesired pressure. Means may also be provided for regulating the minimumdistance between the shafts G. In the arrangement shown these meansconsist of two bolts orrods N, one for eachpair of links K. These rods Nare vertically disposed and project through the ends of the crosshead d.At their lower extremities they are connected to a vertical extension 0of each of the shackles L which serve for connecting the free ends ofeach pair of 'links K to the main springs M The upper ends of the rods Nproject through internally screwed sockets P which are fixed throughflanges p to the top of the crosshead d. Into each of the sockets P isscrewed a bushing p which is secured after adjustment by a lock-nut 19On the threaded upper eX- tremity of each of 'the rods N is screwed anut p fixed by a split pin 'or otherwise. Adjustment is effected byscrewing the bushing 19 into or out of the socket P.

Round each end of the crank shafts G and on the inside of the links K isdisposed a helical or other suitable spring R, one extremity 7' of whichis fixed to the' crank h and the other eX-tremity r into the link Kfixed to the same end of the shaft G. These springs R are arranged insuch a manner that t iey tend to rotate the cranks h outward from theirhighest position, thereby producing a tension in the chans 7 connectingthe cranks h to the drawbolt D. By arranging the sprngs R in' thismanner it allows the shafts G to turn through a large angle, as requiredby the shape of the cams H. The strength of these springs R may be socalculated as to produce a tension in the chains h?, the component ofwhich in the hauling rope e is not more than a certain percentage of thethe cams H IOO IIO

,ing the cranks h, H to come into contact with and grip the effectiveweight of the cage. By effective weight I mean the dead weight minus theloss of weight `caused by the'friction against the guides and minus alsothe loss of weight due to the maximum acceleration attained through thedescent of the cage. The difference between the effective weight of thecage and the coinponent in the hauling rope e from the tension in thechains h caused by the springs R, provides a margin of safety to preventthe cams H acting prematurely. On the other hand the tension in thechains h caused by the springs R, must be suflicient to insure the rapidaction of the cams H, even though hampered by a long length of brokenrope e falling with the cage, which may be the case if a breakage occursat a considerable depth in the shaft. 4

It will be obvious that instead ofemploying crank shafts G, eccentricsmay be utilized in lieu of the cranks.

The device operates in the following manner 1--In the event of thewinding rope e breaking, the springs R fpull the drawbolt D and rope ina downward direction by turnand thereby cause the cams guides a a As thecams 'H turn and press more closely against the guides a, a the distancebetween the shafts G is gradually increased and consequently the links Kand main springs M are lifted. This increases the tension of the springsM and to a much larger degree the tension in the links K, because theincrease of the angle formed between the two links K-increases thecomponent forces in the direction of the links. In this mann'er theshafts G rotate until the cams H press sufficiently hard against theguides a a to cause friction which eXceeds the dead weight of the cageand load. The shafts G continue to rotate and at the Same time to traveloutward or away froni each other in the curved slots 0 until theprojections n on the collars m contacting with the set-screws o in thelinks K prevent further motion of the shafts G. The set-screws 0 aspreviously explained are so adjusted that the projections n engage themonly when the desired pressure between the carns H and guides a a hasbeen attained. After the collars m engage the stops 0 the pressureremains constant. By adjusting the angular position of the collars m andthe initial tension of the springs M the cage can be brought to rest inany desired distance.

The position of the collars m can be practically determined on temporaryguides in the following manner--The cams H are allowed to engage withthe guides a a when the collars m are loose, and the cage is gentlylowered until the frction is sufficient to support it. The cage is thenloaded until 'the total weight which `the cams H carry is greater thanthe maximum workng load. The cage adapted to contact with the sideshaving been loaded sufficiently, the collars 'm are turned round on theshafts G until the projections n contact with the adjustable buflers orset-screws 0 and the collars m are then fixed by the set-screwsn.

What I claim as my invention and desire to protect hy Letters Patent isz 1 In a safety device such as described, the combination with 'thevehicle, guides and winding rope of two shafts revolubly supported bythe vehicle, cams fixed on the eX- tremities of said shai'ts and adaptedto contact with the sides of the guides, links connecting thecorresponding eXtremities of the two shafts, collars fixed to the shats,main springs connected to the links, springs connected at one eXtremityto the links and at theother to the shalts, and connections between theshafts and rope which pernit the shafts to rotate in the event of thevehicle becoming unsupported by the rope.

2, In a safety device such as described, the combinaton with thevehicle, guides and winding rope of two shaits capable ofmovinglaterally or away from and toward each other and revolubly supported bythe vehicle, cams fixed on the extremities of said shal'ts and adaptedto contact with the sides of the guides, links connecting thecorresponding extremities of the two shafts, collars fixed to theshafts,main springs connected to the links, springs connected at one eXtremityto the links and at the other to the shafts, and connections between theshafts and rope which permit the shafts to rotate in the event of thevehicle becoming unsupported by the rope. 3. In a safety device such asdescribed, the combination With the vehicle, guides and winding rope oftwo shafts movable laterally or away from and toward each other andrevolubly supported by the vehicle, came fixed onthe eXtremities of saidshafts and of the guides, links connecting the corresponding extremitiesof the two shafts, collars fixed to the shafts, means for limiting therotatory movement of said collars, main springs connected to the links,springs connected at one extrernity to the lin s and at the other to theshafts, and connections between the shafts and rope which permit theshafts to rotate in the event of the vehicle becoming unsupported by therope.

4:. In a safety device such as described, the combination with thevehicle, guides and winding rope of two shafts movable laterally br awayfrom and toward each, other and revolubly supported by the vehicle,carns fixed on the eXtremitiesof said shafts and adapted to contact withthe sides of the guides, links connecting the corresponding eXtremitiesof the two shafts, means for limiting the downward movement of the saidlinks, collars fixed to the eXtremities of the IOO shafts, main springsconnected to the links, springs connected at one extremity to 'the links.and at theother 'to the shafts, andconnections between the shafts and-rope which i perr'nit the shafts to ro'tate in the event of i thevehicle becoming unsupported by the I rope.

5. In-a safety device such as described, the I 'combination with thevehicle, guides and winding rope of two shaf'ts movable laterally `oraway from and toward each other and revolub'ly supported `by thevehicle, cams fixed -on the extremities of said sha'fts and adapted tocontact with the sides of the 1 guides, links connecting the.corresponding eXtremities of :the two shafts, means for limiting thedownward movement of said links, collars fixed to the shafts, adjustablemeans for limiting the -rotary movement of said collars, main springsconnected to the links, springs connected at one eX- tremity 'to thelinks and at the other to Kthe shafts, and connections between theshafts and rope which permit the shafts to rotate in the event of 'thevehicle becomng unsupported by the rope.

6. In asafety devicesuch as described, the combination with the vehicle,guides and winding rope of two crank shafts revolubly mounted in curvedelongated slots in 'the rame of the veh'icle, two pairs of links con-.nec'ting corresponding extremities of said shafts, main springsconnected to thelinks, springs carried by the shafts which serve 'torota'te the shafts when the vehicle becomes unsuppo-rted, cams on theends of the sha'ft-s adapted to contact with the guides, collars:adjustably fixed on the shafts, means for limiting :the ro'tarymovement of said collars -comprising a projection on the co'llar and apart screwed into the link 'to serve as a stop l :to -be engaged by theprojection aforesaid.

7. In asafe'tydevice 'such as described the l com-bina-tion with thevehicle, `guides and i winding :rope of two crank shafts revolublymounted in curved elongated slots in the i frame of `the vehicle, twopairs of links coni adjustable :necting corresponding extremities ofsaid shafts, means for limiting the downward movement 'of said links,comprising screwed rods connected .at atheir lower ends to the links,sockets, bushings screwed into the sockets, through which bushing thescrewed rods project nuts screwed onto the rods above the 'bushing-s,and lock-nuts for the bushings, main springs connected 'to the links,springs carried by the shafts which serve to rotate :the 'shafts whenthe vehicle becomes `unsupported, cams on the ends of :the shaftsadapedto contact with the guides,

`and collars adjustably fixed on the crank I shafts.-

8. In a safety device such as described the combination with thevehicle, .guides and winding rope of two crank shafts revolubly mountedin curved elongated slots in the frame of the vehicle, two pairs oflinks connecting corresponding extremities of said shafts, means forlimiting the downward movement of said links, comprising screwed rodsconnected at their lower ends -tothe links, sockets, bushings screwedinto the sockets, through which bushings the screwed rods project, `nutsscrewed onto the rods above the bushings, and lock-nuts for thebushings, :main springs connected to the links, springs carried 'by theshafts which serve to rotate the shafts when the vehicle becomesunsupported, cams on the ends of the -shafts adapted 'to contact withthe guides, collarsadjustably fixed on the shafts, means for limitng the'rotary movement of said collars -comprising a projection on the collarand a part screwed into the link to serve as a stop to `be engaged bythe projection aforesaid.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in *the presence of twosubscribng witnesses.

RAGNVALD JENSEN. Witnesses:

CHAs. OV-ENDALE, F. A. OVENDALE.

